Bitting a very mouthy TB

[Jericho]

We have just bought a 5yr old ex racer - very sweet and chilled out boy, willing and fast learner. He has had about 12 months at a pros yard who purchased off the trainer with the view to sell so I think he has been rushed somewhat and the basics missed. He has masses of potential but he is very very mouthy, constantly chewing and opening and closing his mouth. I refuse to strap his mouth shut and we currently have him in a micklem. He works well from behind, picks up in to 'false' outline - I say false because he isn't relaxed in his mouth at all - and happily stretches out long and low but is constantly yawing away when there is any pressure on his mouth even if you just hold the bit from the ground. If you take all pressure off he puts his nose in the air and twisting nose right and left almost if he is playing. On the lunge he will still do it a little bit with no pressure /reins etc but is significantly better.

The plan was always to take him back to basics and I am just trying to leg on when he goes into giraffe mode, concentrating on making his straight and forward. Instructor is fab and we all know it's going to be flatwork flatwork flatwork for a good while but I was hoping for some advice and experience from those who hmay have had experience of this particularly with ex racers. He was in a lozenge bit and I have tried him in a bomber Mullen mouth low port, a Happy mouth straight bar, a Neue Schule tactio turtle and a thin eggbutt with a barrel in the middle following advice but nothing seems to make him any more comfortable. The Mullen mouths he seems a bit better with but then tends to lean. He seems to have a small mouth with low palate and fleshy tongue and there doesn't seem to be much room. Teeth all checked and fine. Instructor thinks lots of work on lunge gradually adding more pressure with bungee is going to help?Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[claracanter]

Have you tried a Bombers Happy Tongue bit? I found this bit works well with my TB who is very fussy in the mouth. He has a big tongue so not much room in his mouth. I've also tried NS tactio turtle and a Happy mouth but to no avail. I have ridden him bitless in the Micklem as a side pull and this got him to just relax although for a while he was still faffing about with his mouth. I still hack out like this sometimes.After going bitless I started him the Bombers Happy Tongue with very little contact and gradually increased it. He is now happy in this bit

 

[LadySam]

Patience. It's the most common carryover habit we see.

What you have is mostly a vestige of an anxiety related habit (chewing) combined with a bit of aversion tactic (yawing / giraffing). Racing leaves a huge impression on these young horses and there will be all sorts of things they remember and associate with it. He will have always chewed his bit as part of the anxiety, stress and excitement of racing, and doing it in such formative years (and TBs being sensitive horses to begin with) makes it a habit and an association that's hard to break. This is possibly why it improves on the lunge - he doesn't associate lunging with having to go out and run with other horses. My guess is that he is (or was) also quite soft mouthed and has never had training or riding that is sympathetic to this.

Changing bits generally won't get you very far because the issue is in his brain, not his mouth.

As far as I can see, you've got two distinct, though related issues - the chewing and the nose in the air / giraffing.

Fixing the giraffing absolutely begins on the ground. Putting your leg on to ride him through it won't work unless there is a foundation set for him to build on. As I mentioned in another recent ex-racer post, lunge work with a chambon is great for the giraffing. I much prefer this to a bungee. Used and fitted properly it's a very soft and kind method. It still allows the horse plenty of room to flex sideways and up and down, but he learns quickly that if he raises his head too far there is poll pressure encouraging his head down again and some pressure on the mouth - and he also learns quickly that he is in control of this and can release this pressure himself. Before too long he knows exactly where his head should be and how much leeway he can expect.

This is the great thing about bungee vs. chambon. I don't agree with the idea of a gradual increase in pressure at this point/for this problem, it should be a gradual decrease of pressure, and with a chambon the horse works this out. (You can of course set up a bungee to work exactly like a chambon, but make sure that there is no additional pressure on mouth or poll when it's in the neutral or correct position. It should be quite loose. It should only kick in when the horse raises his head too far. You want to ensure the proper contact with his mouth only comes from the lunge rein.) The gradual increase in pressure your instructor is talking about should come from your hands when both lunging and riding. Don't leave that up to a bit of kit.

For the chewing, a few things:

* I know you said you "refuse to strap his mouth shut" but you should consider using a flash even if just for a short time to discourage the yawing. Not tightly, we don't want his mouth clamped. It should be loose enough that it isn't uncomfortable and he still has movement in his mouth and jaw, but it should also limit the full range of movement he has. We want to encourage him to limit the jaw flapping on his own by showing him how it starts. We don't want to forcefully strap his mouth down.

* Are you using the bit clips on the Micklem? If not, give them a try. Some help in holding the bit in a slightly more elevated position in his mouth might be a help.

* Lunging with loose side reins to encourage him to seek contact on the outside rein.

Apart from all that, time and patience. He needs time to grow out of it and create new associations in his mind between the bit and what's expected of him now. You can (and should) train the nose in the air and the yawing out of him, but with the constant chewing you can only encourage and set up a space where he doesn't need to do it anymore and let him work out the rest.

One final thought - ulcers. All the stuff you've described is related to training and behaviour, but ulcers in ex-racers are so common it's worth investigating in case they're adding an extra layer of difficulty.

 

[Jericho]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all that. I don't think it's ulcers - he shows absolutely no sign at all, having had one that did I know a little about management and manage him accordingly anyway (I do for all of mine). What you are saying all makes perfect sense and is great advice and I will put it all into action, thank you ��. I have the bomber happy tongue bit so am going to put him in that and work consistently with that. I really hope that with time and patience he will settle in his mouth, he is such a lovely horse

 

[JLG]

I'm following this with interest, thanks OP. My new ex-racer is older (just turned 10) but had over 3 years off. When bridled he chinks the bit constantly and does this also when ridden. He is quite spooky so I wonder if some of this is anxiety. He is very 'yawy' sometimes but can work quite nicely in walk and trot, if very inconsistently. He also opens his mouth although i don't think its evasion, and i too have not wanted to tie his mouth shut. I have used his cavesson noseband a hole tighter than it should be just to discourage the yawing abit (but it doesn't). i have a micklem bridle but haven't yet tried that. Perhaps he is just being a bit rude?
he is better in a hanging cheek french link than a loose ring but his steering is awful. I have just got a fulmer snaffle to try, to see if that will help in the short term though in my experience it makes them lean on the bit.
We have done some work with a chambon but he still works with his head as high as it will allow and hasn't grasped that he can release the pressure himself.

 

[LPL]

My 6 year old ex racer opens his mouth and chomps. It is definitely worse when he's stressy. I have found that he actually goes best in his Pelham when he's showing, or his happy mouth full cheek. I think it's because they stay the stillest in his mouth. He doesn't like lots of movement. Just something else to consider!